Five battlegrounds of the 2023 Vuelta

This year’s Spanish Grand Tour sees the scuffling start in earnest as early as stage three

- James Shrubsall

This year’s Vuelta a España route, unveiled last week, features a merciless 10 uphill finishes – most of them up bona fide mountains that are at or around the 1,000m mark. It’s a climber’s dream, but even they are going to face some very challenging days in the saddle on the way to the finish in Madrid. Here are some of the likely key battlegrounds.

Cruz de Linares

Stage 18 | Pola de Allande > Cruz de Linares | 178.9km Topping out at a trifling 845m above sea level, it would be easy to dismiss this Vuelta debutant, the Cruz de Linares. But make no mistake, by the time the riders finish stage 18 after nearly three weeks of racing, its slopes will be etched into their consciousness.

Climbing up from the south, its slopes begin way down at 130m altitude, so it’s no wonder the average gradient is a fiendish 9% over its nine short kilometres. What’s more, they top out at 18 per cent – this is one for the strongest riders.

The peloton has to tackle its slopes not once but twice, back to back, before finishing on the summit to round out the serious climbing in this year’s race.

Altu de l’Angliru

Stage 17 | Ribedesella > Altu de l’Angliru | 122.6km

This Asturian beast has been called the hardest climb in pro cycling, and not without reason. It’s most famous for its seriously steep gradients, which peak at 24% – no wonder Grand Tour riders were using compact chainsets and outsized sprockets as far back as 2008, and Alberto Contador won on the climb using a reputed 34x28 gear.